Class 17, Who Freed the Slaves: Lincoln, Leadership and Emancipation Policy

On January 28, 1864, Frederick Douglass delivered two speeches in New Haven, one at Grapevine Point and another downtown on Crown Street, titled "The Mission of the War," advocating for national regeneration and equal rights for black soldiers. The speaker then shifts to discussing the process of emancipation during the Civil War, highlighting key factors such as the character of slave societies, the course of the war, Union and Confederate policies, and the ingenuity of enslaved people. The discussion includes the Emancipation Proclamation, the role of black soldiers, and the Confederate debate over enlisting slaves, ending with the story of Wallace Turnage, a former slave who escaped to freedom and later documented his experiences.